Fallen Petals
by Diana-san

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 6

"Sakura," he said again.

"Sasuke," Sakura said.

"What are you doing here?"

Sakura looked into Sasuke's eyes. It seemed to be staring back at her, sad and lost. Sakura shook her head lightly. 'No, it can't be. I must be seeing things. Sasuke would never have a look of weakness in his eyes. It's just not like him.'

When Sakura looked back at Sasuke again, she saw that his eyes were back to normal. The same cold eyes that she looked at so many times back when they were genins.

'Like when he said you were annoying on the first day of the formation of Team 7.'

"So?" Sasuke's voice said, cutting into Sakura's thoughts.

"Huh?" Sakura looked at Sasuke again. "Oh, right. Well, can't a friend visit another friend?"

"Hn."

Sakura smiled. There was the signature Sasuke response. Sakura walked over to the chair that was placed next to the bed. She sat down and it was quiet for a while. Sakura played with her fingers as the awkward silence got even more awkward.

"Your hair got longer."

Sakura looked up from her hands. She looked at Sasuke who was staring at the ceiling. Sakura nodded. "Yeah, a lot has changed in six years."

Sasuke looked at Sakura. He was surprised that she had grown even more beautiful since the last time he saw her. Her pink hair reached past her shoulders and moved whenever she moved. She had grown out of her unusually wide forehead and she had fill out in all the right places. She had certainly mature from a young girl to a young lady.

"So, what have you been doing for the last six years?" Sasuke asked.

"What do you think I've been doing?" Sakura responded quietly.

"That's why I'm asking."

Sakura fiddled with her thumbs and said quietly, "To tell you the truth, I have been training hard. I'm not the weak girl who needed protection anymore. I'm a lot stronger and I vowed that I was going to get strong enough to bring you back."

Sasuke remained silent. 'So, she's been training hard for me?'

Sakura looked up at Sasuke and smiled. "Well, it seems like I accomplish one thing and somehow someone accomplished the other, so either way, I got what I wanted."

"Hn."

Sakura got up. "Well, I better be going now. I shouldn't be out of bed for so long. I better get back to my room."

Sasuke looked up at Sakura. "Your room?" he echoed.

Sakura nodded and smiled. "I'll see you later Sasuke."

She walked towards the door and opened it. 'So, he doesn't know that I saved him. Maybe it's for the best.'

Then she walked out and shut the door behind her.

Sasuke leaned against his pillow. He was confused. He didn't understand why he was feeling this way. This feeling…it was driving him crazy.

Was it guilt?

Sasuke turned over on his side and stared out at the window. 'She said that she trained hard for me.'

He grunted and rolled over again so that he was lying on his back. 'Did I make her worry about me everyday? Every day that she got up to train, did she think about me?'

Sasuke sat upright and punched his pillow. He was frustrated. He was asking himself questions he didn't understand and he didn't like it when he didn't understand something.

"Hn."

'I know now. I feel guilty because I called her weak and that was why she trained so hard. To prove me wrong. To show that she isn't weak anymore.'

Feeling satisfied with the answer, he laid back down on his pillow.

'Then why the hell would I care if she trained to get stronger?'

Sasuke then knew. He saw hurt and pain in Sakura's eyes. Not just today, but also on the day that he left Konoha and probably every other day they trained together and went on missions when they were younger.

'Pain. Pain that I caused her. I broke her heart over and over again and yet she still comes back to me.'

'Does she?' Sasuke's inner voice asked. 'Does she?'

'So, that's it. She has given up on me. No wonder. She doesn't call me Sasuke-kun anymore. As annoying as it is, I realized…I miss it.'

'Isn't this a good thing? You always thought she was annoying anyway. Why are we even discussing this issue?'

'Because I said so.'

Sasuke sighed as he tried to fall asleep and forget about everything that was going through his mind.

Sakura walked back to her room and opened the door. Or at least she tried to when she realized it was opened.

'That's strange. I could have sworn that I closed it when I left.'

Sakura didn't have her weapon holster on her so she was defenseless.

'Hn. Like I can't defend myself. If I have to I will punch them and then beat them up!'

Cautiously, Sakura proceeded forward as she went inside the room. It was empty. There was no one inside. Sakura narrowed her eyes. 'Yet, I can sense a presence of someone's chakra.'

Quickly, Sakura swung her arm out and was blocked by a hand. Sakura turned around and stared at the mysterious intruder.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed.

The silver-haired jonin stood up and smiled. "Yo."

"YO?" Sakura yelled. "You scared me half to death by sneaking up on me," Sakura said, pointing an accusing finger at Kakashi.

"Yes, but you sensed me, didn't you?" Kakashi said with a smile.

"That's beside the point!" Sakura exclaimed. "You can't go around sneaking up on patients."

"Heh heh. Sorry."

Sakura sighed. Then she looked up. "Eh, Kakashi-sensei. What are you doing here?"

Kakashi took out his book, Icha Icha Paradise, and began reading it. "Can't someone visit his team member without having to explain why they are here?"

Sakura blinked. "Well, I guess not."

Kakashi looked up from his book. "Well, how are you?"

"I'm fine. I'm not hurt physically. Just lost a lot of chakra. A day or two and I'll be all healed up. It's nothing big really. You don't have to worry. I'll be just-"

Kakashi interrupted Sakura before she could rambled on some more. "No, I mean how are you about Sasuke?"

Sakura paused. "What do you mean?"

Kakashi sighed. "I think you know what I'm talking about, Sakura. You haven't seen him for over six whole years. Now that he's back, I'm sure that the feelings you had for him is still there?"

Sakura smiled a small smile. "Maybe." Kakashi smiled as if he just figured out something really hard. "But then again," Sakura continued. "Maybe not." Kakashi dropped his book in surprise.

"What?"

Sakura folded her hands and calmly placed them on her lap as she sat down on the bed. "I admit, when I first saw him, my heart fluttered for a moment and I thought that it was love all over again. But, I knew that it wasn't. I've given up on him. I mean, why should I keep trying to get his recognition when all he does is ignore me?"

Kakashi said nothing but spoke a few moments later. "Love does strange things to people."

"Well, what is love anyway?" Sakura questioned. "I used to think that what I felt for Sasuke was love but now...I'm not so sure."

"I can't answer that Sakura-chan. Only you can."

"Oh." Sakura stared out the window, deep in thought.

"I better get going now. I have a jonin meeting to get to." Kakashi put away his book and walked out the door. "Rest up!"

Sakura nodded and waved half-heartedly. The door closed behind Kakashi and Sakura sighed. So many questions were running through her mind. But the one question that kept popping back up was the one that was bugging her.

'Do I still have feelings for Sasuke?'

Sakura sighed. 'I guess I should just sleep on it.'

With that last thought, Sakura drifted off to sleep in her bed.